Gal Gadot and Kristen Wiig talk Wonder Woman 1984: "It really doesn’t feel like a sequel"

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

“In the first movie, we really explored the journey of the coming-of-age, of how Diana Prince became Wonder Woman, and owned her full strengths and powers,” Gal Gadot tells our sister publication Total Film magazine for the new Wonder Woman 1984 issue. “She was fresh, she was green, she was a fish out of water, she was young...er!"

By the time the sequel begins, Diana – who was last seen fighting in World War I – is a lot different. "We don’t pick up the story where we left it last, because it was 66 years ago," Gadot continues. "So she’s been living for over six decades by herself, in man’s world, serving mankind and doing good. And this story is a story of its own. I mean, the only thing that we share in both stories is probably, you know, the fact that it’s Diana Prince and also Steve Trevor. But other than that, it’s a whole new world, and the era is different, and Diana is different, and the story is new.”

“It really doesn’t feel like a sequel in that... everything’s different,” interjects Gadot’s co-star Kristen Wiig, a newbie to the franchise, and comic-book blockbusters in general. “The posters, the music, everything...” She pauses, before cracking up. “Obviously the posters are different! I meant, like the style! A lot of time, with the sequel, you want to show the connection to the first one. And this one...”

"It’s totally of its own,” adds Gadot. “It’s true. And I feel, in the first movie, a big thing that we played off was the naiveté of Diana. And she’s not naive anymore. She’s been around. She’s wiser. She’s more mature. We meet a very much evolved character in this one.”

Inside the new issue of Total Film – which hits shelves real and digital from this Friday, June 26 – stars Gadot, Pine, Kristen Wiig, and Pedro Pascal, plus Jenkins talk in-depth about the super-sequel, which has recently been postponed for an October 2 cinema release. Plus, the issue also comes with two (count ’em) ebook gifts: a Star Wars-themed quiz book and an era-appropriate ’80s Movie special. Check out the newsstand cover below:

Total Film's Wonder Woman 1984 cover

(Image credit: Warner Bros/Total Film)

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(Image credit: Total FIlm/Warner Bros/Funko)
Matt Maytum
Editor, Total Film

I'm the Editor at Total Film magazine, overseeing the running of the mag, and generally obsessing over all things Nolan, Kubrick and Pixar. Over the past decade I've worked in various roles for TF online and in print, including at GamesRadar+, and you can often hear me nattering on the Inside Total Film podcast. Bucket-list-ticking career highlights have included reporting from the set of Tenet and Avengers: Infinity War, as well as covering Comic-Con, TIFF and the Sundance Film Festival.